Originally Posted by mrbike27
i tried commuting today and got a third of the way there and then i got to the hills and some reason i coulnt gain enough speed and had a hell of a time with the hills. my heart started palpitating i could not hardly breath. I ended up pushing the bike up most of the hills. my commute really sucked. now i see why most people choose to drive.
Yeah, hills can be brutal. It's just a matter of continuing to ride and seeing each time if you can get farther up that hill before bailing off and walking the bike the rest of the way (I've had to do that sometimes too). Eventually you'll find yourself riding up the hill without stopping. Also, ditto to the questions about your gear situation--I live in a hilly area and am very happy to have a triple chainring. As for your heart palpitations and being out of breath on the hill, I know how that is. One day I wore my heart rate monitor while riding my bike on some errands and my heart rate hit 205 on a couple of hills (max is around 210). Just keep at it, and you'll get stronger. However, if you have any symptoms like chest pain, get it checked out immediately! Wouldn't want you having a heart attack out there.